The number of assessment challenges has reached record levels in recent years as property tax bills have increased despite home values dropping.

McHenry County fielded 8,893 assessment appeals last year for this year’s property tax bills, up 51 percent from 2010.

The 5,885 appeals filed that year were up 40 percent from 2009.

The rate of inflation for next year’s tax bills is 3 percent, which means that taxing bodies can collect 3 percent more than they did this year. The increase is double the 1.5 percent that many taxing bodies billed on this year’s taxes.

The tax cap, originally designed to rein in property taxes by limiting them to an inflationary rate of increase, works against taxpayers and for governments when property values fall. When values decline, the tax cap guarantees that taxing bodies can collect the inflationary increase if they so choose.

Assessments have not yet been published for Algonquin, Grafton, Marengo, Riley and Hebron townships. The deadline to challenge assessments has expired for property owners in Alden, Greenwood, Hartland, Nunda, Richmond and Seneca townships.

Assessment appeal deadlines

The following is a list of deadlines for property owners by township to appeal their property assessments.

• Dorr Township residents have until the end of the day today.

• McHenry Township residents have until next Monday.

• Residents of Burton and Dunham townships have until Oct. 19.

• Chemung Township residents have until Oct. 24.

• Coral Township residents have until Oct. 29.

The deadline has expired for property owners in Alden, Greenwood, Hartland, Nunda, Richmond and Seneca townships. Assessments have not yet been published for Algonquin, Grafton, Marengo, Riley and Hebron townships.

How to appeal

Visit http://shawurl.com/ckf or call your township assessor to learn more about how to appeal your property assessment.